1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus for combatting floating pollution whose inlet is in the form of a flexible blade pump, extended then by a blade elevator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such apparatus is known, for example from French Pat. No. 2,229,260. They include an inclined flexible endless belt, mounted on two end drums and bearing a plurality of flexible plates, and a guideway of U-shaped cross-section whose bottom is parallel to the lower side of the belt, the flexible plates having a width substantially equal to that of the guideway and a height such that their free transverse edge comes into rubbing engagement against the bottom of said guideway. At the lower part of the apparatus, the guideway is extended by an inlet chute whose lateral sides are generally flared and whose bottom is flat and substantially horizontal. To recover floating material (bodies of small size or liquid material such as petroleum) the bottom of the inlet chute is placed at a shallow depth below the material to be recovered, the belt is then put into motion by driving one of the drums, the flexible plates "lap" the surface of the sheet of water and entrap the floating products in successive cavities to discharge them at the upper part of the belt through an evacuation chute, for example, into a decantation tank.
The results obtained are satisfactory and, at least, it is the apparatus of this type which gives the best results notably in combatting "oil spills". However, their yield is offset by the backflow which is generated at the point where the flexible plates for blades come into contact with the sheet of water.
It is an object of the invention to provide arrangements which notably reduce this backflow.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows.